Smile
by SkywardShadow
Summary: Even dying at the prodigy's hand, Shisui never hated Itachi. In fact, he smiled at him. Walks the fine line between 'drabble' and 'oneshot'. Mentioned ItaShi.


Disclaimer: Is Shisui alive? No. Is Sasuke capable of catching a break? I think not. Do we have confirmation that Itachi is indeed alive and well? Ah, no. Therefore, I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: Drabble. Born of the need for more Shisui fics. Quality of writing is up for debate. -.-; Enjoy.**

**-Smile-**

"I-Itachi?"

He automatically cursed himself for letting his voice shake. As an Uchiha-as a shinobi, period-he wasn't supposed to show fear in front of the enemy.

_But how,_ he wondered, _are we supposed to react when the so-called 'enemy' is our best friend?_

As friends, as brothers (in every sense except for the small fact that they had different mothers-a technicality; nothing more), and even as lovers, the two had always been close. Shisui was proud of the fact that he was one of precious few who had ever known the 'real' Itachi-the living, breathing boy who hid behind the ice-cold mask of an emotionless prodigy. The boy who actually cared about what happened to those around him (even though the trait of showing emotions had been all but stamped out of him, Shisui could still tell). The boy who regretted in silence the amount of death he was forced to deal. The boy who would, on the occasion so rare it was almost unheard of, smile at his beloved cousin.

Shisui knew there was probably only one other person on the planet who could say that they had seen such a pure smile.

Yes, they had always been close. More close than others would want them to be, but the threat of their families' disapproval couldn't dissuade them. Because they loved each other, in every way possible to think of.

So Shisui couldn't understand why Itachi was doing this.

He had just been taking a walk alongside the river, to clear his head. The leisurely stroll had gone from calming to life-shattering in two seconds flat, courtesy of a Sharingan-wielding thirteen-year-old who jumped from the shadows and announced himself by way of a sharpened kunai knife. One that was thrown alarmingly close to Shisui's head.

They had attacked each other before, of course; during spars and training and the kind of roughhousing that all boys get involved in at one time or another. But never before had the weapon seemed so sharp, so _ready_ to take life. So dangerous (which was ridiculous, if you thought about it, but still). Itachi had thrown it _hard_, and with no warning. And the prodigy's aim was always flawless; Shisui got the sickening feeling that he was only still standing because Itachi had intentionally allowed him to survive.

_But why? What the __**hell **__is going on?_

He voiced this question to his sudden attacker, trying not to let his bewilderment show. Itachi stared at his cousin with what seemed remarkably like calm, as if nothing unusual was happening.

It was like watching a cat playing with a mouse before eating it slowly. Like watching a sociopath contemplating his soon-to-be victim. A killer, staring him down with no outward signs of emotion, silently relishing the faint traces of fear in the other's face. Or perhaps feeling nothing at all; like it was just another death in the eternal cycle of ending lives.

Except Itachi wasn't looking him in the eye. His dark gaze was fixed intently on the other boy's shoulder.

Shisui had no time to think about anything; he just knew something was horribly, disgustingly wrong and he had to stop his cousin before something terrible occurred. He reached into his pouch for a kunai, but felt an ice-cold hand grip his before he could so much as touch the metal.

He looked up to see nobody in front of him. The first Itachi had been a shadow clone, which he had fallen for like an idiot. He could feel the presence of the real one behind him.

Frozen in place, mind going in circles, somewhere he realized what was about to happen. Even though such a revelation violated any and every thought he'd ever had about Itachi previously.

Everything clicked, fell awfully into place. Every loose end he had ever noticed about his cousin was suddenly tied up into one huge knot.

_..So that's it, Itachi._

_I.._

Uchiha Shisui did something unusual right then; unusual for shinobi in general, and particularly for one facing death.

He smiled.

He heard and felt a sharp intake of breath behind him.

And in the next second, he was underwater.

His air was draining away quickly, and yet so slowly; it was as if time was dragging on, solely for these few moments. Instinctively he thrashed, despite knowing it was futile. His cousin was holding him under with just enough strength to keep him from surfacing; not enough to leave any identifying marks on the other boy's body. _Smart..always so smart, dangit. They're going to think I killed myself. Great. Thanks a lot, Itachi._

As blackness steadily began to close in, Shisui stopped moving, squinting through the rippling water for a blurry glimpse of Itachi's face. The face of the person he loved, and the person who was killing him.

Even in this state, Shisui was able to notice something. And it explained why Itachi and his clone had been unable to look him in the face.

Because there, written so clearly in the Uchiha prodigy's usually so emotionless eyes, was an expression unmistakably recognizable as pain. Agony. And the desperate words, _'I'm sorry'_.

Shisui managed one last smile, one last act of what he hoped his friend would recognize as forgiveness, before the darkness finally engulfed him.

**-Finis-**

**A/N: Ah..okay, so that was kind of pointless, but I still needed to write it. Shisui needs some love! And his relationship with Itachi may have been canon; read chapter 401, page 10 if you don't believe me..they say 'lover', not 'girlfriend', correct? ;) **

**Anyway, I hope you liked it. A review would seriously make my day, but feel no obligation. Sayo! -SS**


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